Counterbalancing hinge assembly



- July 21, 1959 E. SBADURA COUNTERBALANCING HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 26, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

y 1959 E.-s. BADURA 2,895,161

COUNTERBALANCING HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 26, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmvron rromvsr 425722215 Zak/m y 21, 9 E. s. BADURA 2,895,161

. COUNTERBALANCING HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Sept, 26. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mmvrox BY r A ACTOPAEY United States Patent COUNTERBALAN CIN G HINGE ASSEMBLY Edmund S. Badura, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 26, 1956, Serial No. 612,297

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-163) This invention relates generally to hinge structures and particularly to hinges and counterbalancing means therefor which are particularly suitable for use with the rear deck lids of automotive vehicles although not necessarily limited exclusively to such application.

In automotive rear deck lids, particularly of the convertible type, there is a limited amount of clearance be tween the rear end of the convertible top and the forward end of deck lid when the lid is swung to its full open position. Consequently, in recent years due to even further limitations in this clearance manufacturers have been forced to change from the fixed center hinges previously used to movable center hinges wherein the hinges not only swing upwardly but rearwardly as well. Such hinge movement has complicated the problem of combining with such hinges suitable counterbalancing means for the rear deck lids.

The present invention constitutes a simple solution to the counterbalance problem for such movable center hinged deck lids by a novel arrangement of parts in combination therewith which provides a biasing eifect on the movable center hinge and deck lid tending to hold the lid both outwardly and upwardly.

For a fuller understanding of the invention and the objects thereof reference may be had to-the accompanying detailed description and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the rear end of a convertible automotive vehicle having a portion of the rear deck removed to illustrate the general location of the hinge assemblies and the counterbalancing means therefor.

Fig. 2, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 4, is a plan view with parts broken away of the right hinge assembly greatly enlarged illustrating in much greater detail the construction thereof and the counterbalancing means combined therewith.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view in elevation also greatly enlarged illustrating the hinge assembly and a portion of the counterbalancing means with the rear deck lid in the closed position.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and is similar to Fig. 3 except that it shows the parts of the hinge assembly and counterbalancing means when the deck lid is in the fully open position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the transversely extending torsion rods used for counterbalancing the deck lid.

Fig. 6 is a detailed view taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 2 of the means which enables the torsional stress of the counterbalancing torsion rod to be varied.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1 for the moment, a convertible automotive vehicle indicated by numeral 2 is shown provided with the usual rear deck lid. 4. The convertible top including the rear light is identified by the numeral 6. Below the portion of the rear deck, which has been broken away, are located the rear deck lid hinge assemblies indicated generally by numerals 8 and 10. The hinge assemblies 8 and 10, except for a reversal of certain of the parts for left hand e 2,895,161 Patented July 21,1959

2 and right hand operation, are similar in construction and operation. It is, therefore, felt that a detailed description is necessary with respect to only one of these hinge assemblies and assembly 10 has been selected for that purpose.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in addition to Fig. 1, the hinge assembly 10 includes a hinge box or support 12 adapted to be fastened to the underside of the rear deck adjacent the opening therein in which the movable elements of hinge assembly 19 are enclosed. Fixed to one of the walls of the hinge box 12 is a bracket 14 which acts as a pivotal support for a pair of hinge butt hangers 16 and 18. The forward hanger 16 is pivotally connected at point 20 to bracket 14- downwardly and forwardly of the point 22 which represents the pivotal connection of hanger 18 to bracket 14. The hangers 16 and 18 which extend substantially downwardly when the hinge assembly is in the deck lid closed position have their lower ends, which are generally horizontally spaced, pivotally connected to an offset portion 24 of a gooseneck hinge butt 26. The hinge butt 26 is connected at an opposite end 28 by studs 30 to the deck lid 4.

From the description so far given it will be appreciated that the hinge butt 26 by reason of its hanging support on hangers 16 and 18, as the deck lid is opened, swings not only upwardly but rearwardly as Well to the position shown in Fig. 4. In this way the necessary clearance is obtained between the forward end 32 of deck lid 4 and the convertible top 6 when the deck lid is in the fully open position. Such movement of the hinge 26 is, of course, about a movable center. The swinging movement of the hinge assembly and the parts thereof, however, is relatively substantial so that any counterbalance which might beconnected to the hinge assembly or any of the elements thereof must necessarily move through large arcs thereby requiring added clearance and larger links which it is diflicult to provide in the confined quarters of the rear deck where the hinge assemblies must be located. Accordingly, to reduce the amount of clearance and swinging necessary between the counterbalancing means provided for such hinge assemblies and the previously described movable elements thereof, a novel linkage forming a toggle indicated generally by a numeral 34 has been added. This linkage comprises a pair of links 36 and 38 whose respective ends 4% and 42 are pivotally connected together at the point 39. The opposite end of link 38 is connected intermediate the lower ends of the links 16 and 18 and to the portion 24 of the gooseneck hinge butt 26. The opposite end of link 36 is pivotally connected at 44 intermediate the ends of the hanger 18. The aforementioned connections of links 36 and 38 and their lengths have been selected so that the toggle linkage generally converges downwardly and forwardly when the hinge assembly is in the rear deck lid full open position so that any counterbalancing means applied to the pivotally connected ends 40, 42 will tend to bias the deck lid both upwardly and rearwardly. Pivotally connected to the pivotal connection 39 of the links 36 and 38 is a link 46 provided with an abutting shoulder 48 adapted to engage the pin 50, which pivotally connects hanger 18 to bracket 14.

Turning now to Fig. 5, the torsion rod used for counterbalancing the right hand hinge assembly 10 is shown and indicated by a numeral 52. The rod 52 extends transversely of the vehicle (see Fig. 1) and has a lever arm 54 which is anchored in a bracket 56 fixed to the hinge box of the assembly 3. The bracket 56 is provided with slots 58 which enable the torsional stress in the rod 52 to be varied. (A similar bracket 56 with slots 58 is provided on the hinge box 12 of assembly 10.) The opposite end 60 of rod 52 is provided with a crank portion 62 and is journaled for rotation in the hinge box 12 so that the crank 62 resides in a slot 64 provided in the link "ice 46. The arm 54 and crank 62 are arranged at approximately right angles or any other suitable angle relative to each other so that the rod is torsionally prestressed to a relatively greater extent when the assembly is in the deck lid closed position than when it is in the full open position. With the crank of torsion rod 62 residing in slot 64 as previously described and with the pivotal connection between link 46 and the toggle linkage 34, the abutment of shoulder 48 with pin 50 serves to limit the opening movement of the hinge assembly and the deck lid 4. The link 46 thus serves a dual purpose. It connects the crank 62 to the toggle linkage 34 thereby making the counterbalancing of the hinge assembly and the deck lid possible since of necessity the distance between point 40 and the axis of rod 52 must vary. Also, link 46 serves to apply through the toggle linkage 34 coimterbalancing movement which not only tends to bias the deck lid upwardly but rearwardly as well or, to put it in another way, resists downward and forward movement of the deck lid from its full open position. The arrangement of the links is such that when the deck lid is near the fully closed position, very little of the counterbalancing force exerted by the torsion rod 52 acts to actually lift or move the hinge 26 and the deck lid 4. Thus, if the deck lid should accidentally not be fastened closed there would be little tendency for the lid to move from such a near closed position to the fully open position. After the lid has been lifted a predetermined distance however, more counterbalance effect is brought to bear on the linkage by the toggle link assembly 34 and the desired counterbalancing effect is thus achieved.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that a counterbalanced hinge assembly has been provided which requires a minimum amount of space and which provides proper counterbalancing in combination with the desired movement obtained with a movable center hinge assembly.

I claim:

1. A rear deck lid hinge assembly for a convertible automobile body comprising a hinge box adapted to be secured to the body inside the rear deck, a rear-wardly extending hinge butt adapted to be secured to the rear deck lid, a pair of spaced hangers including a rearward hanger and a forward hanger having their upper ends pivotally connected to said box in diagonally downward spaced relation in the forward direction and their opposite ends pivotally connected in substantially horizontal spaced .4 relation to said hinge butt when said butt is in the rear deck lid closed position, a pair of links forming a toggle by having ends pivotally connected together, the opposite end of one of said links being pivotally connected to said rearward hanger intermediate the ends thereof, the opposite end of the other of said links being connected to said butt intermediate the pivotal connections of said hangers to said butt such that said links converge downwardly and forwardly when said butt is in the rear deck lid full open position, and rear deck lid counterbalancing means connected to the pivotally connected ends of said links biasing said links and consequently said butt upwardly and rearwardly when said butt is in the rear deck lid full open position.

2. A rear deck lid hinge assembly for a convertible automobile body comprising a hinge box adapted to be secured to the body inside the rear deck, a rearwardly extending hinge butt adapted to be secured to the rear deck lid, a pair of spaced hangers including a rearward hanger and a forward hanger having their upper ends pivotally connected to said box in diagonally downward spaced relation in the forward direction and their opposite ends pivotally connected in substantially horizontal spaced relation to said hinge butt when said butt is in the rear deck lid closed position, a pair of links forming a toggle by having ends pivotally connected together, the opposite end of one of said links being pivotally connected to said rearward hanger intermediate the ends thereof, the opposite end of the other of said links being connected to said butt intermediate the pivotal connections of said hangers to said butt such that said links converge downwardly and forwardly when said butt is in the rear deck lid full open position, a torsion rod extending transversely inside the rear deck having one end anchored thereto and the opposite end supported thereby for rotation, a crank formed in said rod adjacent the rotative end of said rod, a link extending between said crank and the pivotally connected ends of said links, said rod being torsionally stressed to bias said links and consequently said butt upwardly and reaiwardly when said butt is in the rear deck lid full open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,677,146 Vigmostad May 4, 1954 

